Don't get your headshots done outside of LA. I guarantee you will find them unacceptable once you are here (and they probably will be) and will want more anyway. Don't move here without ANY sort of job prospects. Since there is two of you, you will burn through that cash that much quicker and unemployment is WICKED high. About 12 percent. Be smarter than I was.

Does your wife have work lined up?

""I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together you are going to get off first or I'm going to die. It's really that simple. I'm not going to be outworked." -Will Smith

Not yet, no. We're in the process of compiling as many literary agencies as we can so she can contact them about employment. We do not plan on moving out there unless at least one of us has a job -- most likely her, since I'll need more flexibility.

Plan A is for her to have a job the second we get there, have 15k ready to roll, and I'll try to get transferred from a chain restaurant waiting position to another in L.A..

I'll probably get headshots here for the sole purpose of getting a little work here prior to L.A., but I'll definitely plan on getting new ones once out there -- especially since I'm looking to gain some weight between now and then.

We're not making any drastic moves, besides the craziness of moving to L.A. in a recession.

Sounds like a very good plan and similar to myself and my hubby's for when I come back, actually. Very good and I am very happy you guys are being so smart and are so prepared as the difference i your success by having finances etc sorted out will give you a huge advantage over many people and thus, in turn, hopefully procure more success!

I think the biggest hurdle people face, more than the business itself, is just trying to survive and pay for it all.

Please be sure to read the book, "How to be a Working Actor" by Mari Lynn Rodgers and Lynn Henry, with Joe Mantegna, FIFTH edition. It's at Amazon.

That will also put you ahead of the masses as it is chock full of so much info. Also go to the Showfax/Actor's Acess website and read ALL the columns in the archives by casting directors Bonnie Gillespie and Mark Sikes. KNOWLEDGE is POWER. Go every week after and read when the new ones come out too. READ all you can like your life depended it. I am telling you as you seem smarter and you listen to advice and those are the people who deserve to win.

In regards to this helpfulness of this thread you referenced- I can only say I wish I had known this before I went out there. No matter what I read, how many articles, how many people I spoke to, NOONE warned be that I could quite possibly not secure employment for years. Had I known, I would have saved an extra year at the minimum and secured employement of ANY kind FIRST.

""I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together you are going to get off first or I'm going to die. It's really that simple. I'm not going to be outworked." -Will Smith

Just a quick and probably stupid question: How much approximately approximately do you need to have with you when coming to LA for the first time (coming from England, never lived in USA)? Maybe those who are already quite familiar with expenses and can answer this based on experience how much will everything cost, how much will it take to find a job, etc. I have like 5 years for saving the money, and it would be better for me to have an exact goal for savings. It won't probably be no less than $100 000 (which sounds possible), but I hope it's not a million.

After doing my calculations and estimations. I am assuming I will have around 40 k when I leave, but I want to purchase this car for 20k, since it has great gas value; 2009 Toyota Prius. The used cars should go down soon, since they are high right now.

Do you think that it be wise to leave to L.A. on 20-25 k? Or maybe I should get a cheaper car.

Originally posted by Mystique:After doing my calculations and estimations. I am assuming I will have around 40 k when I leave, but I want to purchase this car for 20k, since it has great gas value; 2009 Toyota Prius. The used cars should go down soon, since they are high right now.

Do you think that it be wise to leave to L.A. on 20-25 k? Or maybe I should get a cheaper car.

That is more than enough to get started. I am not sure where you are coming from exactly but I would definitely take a trip here first if you haven't already. Do a pre apartment search to get a good look at the areas you would be interested in. You can even make a few submissions on monster.com or careerbuilder.com for jobs in the area if you'd like before you come down.

Regarding the car issue- I wouldn't pay for the whole thing outright. You do want a car that is dependable and doesn't eat away at gas, but you can get a 10k car that will easily fit your needs. If after a year goes by and you are doing well on your finances then you could pay the rest of the car off in full if you prefer.

The key to sticking it in LA is not necessarily how much you bring but what your attitude is on making it work. I came here in 2003 with maybe $2k in my pocket. I didn't even know I was approved for the appartment I went out for until the day I was moving. (I wouldn't suggest that by the way unless you have a plan B).

About AFTRA. I for one, WHOLEHEARTEDLY recommend anyone with the money who wants to be SAG Eligible as soon as possible, join AFTRA TODAY no matter where you are in the country. Period. Let me explain. One of the ways to become SAG eligible is to be a member of a sister union for a year and get just one speaking line in an AFTRA project...That means as soon as you get to LA, you get just one itty bitty line on an AFTRA show and BAM- you are SAG ELIGIBLE!!!

Miss Stone,

Thanks for the reply on AFTRA...I am trying hard to gain my SAG-E status, and unfortunately am stuck doing background work, as that was one of the easier ways to go about it, or so I was told. I feel gross every time I do it, as it's so demeaning, and not why I am came out here.

My question is this though, I have been a member of AFTRA for 6 months now, and have yet to audition for an AFTRA job with a line.

Now, I am not naive...and I realize it may take longer than 6 months, but perhaps I am just not going about it the proper way...without an agent, how does one find these speaking jobs with AFTRA.

Are you referring to places like Actors Access, LA Casting, etc...?? Are there other places I should be looking?

Really appreciate any help you can give, as I am SO over doing this background business.

Cheers!

Yes LA Casting, Actors Access and Now Casting are the main casting sites that will help you find an audition for an AFTRA job. Also look through the Ross Reports (online version is here on backstage somewhere). You will find TV shows, pilots and be able to submit directly to the soap operas casting departement.

In regards to the exta work. I understand the difficultness of trying to get your SAG-E status, however you have time. Auditioning for a SAG job in hopes of landing a speaking role before you are ready is like a fan at a baseball game thinking he can pitch for the Dodgers. You need training, you need experience, you need confidence and you need to make those connections. What better way to get all of those then to work on the non-union films while you can.

Acting in LA is not a race by any means- it is a lifelong journey. You will have ups and you have have many downs. You will question your method of training and sense of timing. But you can not focus on the negative. You need to stay focused, available, strong willed and most of all patient. The faster you try and run this marathon, the faster you will burn yourself out.

""I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together you are going to get off first or I'm going to die. It's really that simple. I'm not going to be outworked." -Will Smith

Originally posted by Melissa B:If it were easy, everyone would be doing it- and then it wouldn't be as special

I highly recommend reading "The Secret". I'm not sure if anything in there is true, but it really helps put your mind in the right place, especially for acting.

You cannot sit around and count the numbers. If you are meant for a certain part, there will NOT be any competition.

Actually get Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles.

The Secret is kind of the watered down version of those two books. Actually, those two books are the first books on The Law of Attraction. I'm disappointed with the book because it was basically a transcription of the DVD. If you're going to get anything dealing with "The Secret" get the DVD.